The Brits love a good ghost story at Christmas. Here’s a collection of spooky holiday radio dramas from the BBC that are sure to send a chill down your spine. I've posted FLACs (lossless) whenever possible, otherwise they're in high quality Mp3.

1962-12-24 The Goblins Who Stole A Sexton (by Charles Dickens)

From the series Mysterious Circumstances. A less than merry grave-digger is persuaded to change his ways. From "The Pickwick Papers." Music composed and conducted by CHRISTOPHER WHELEN, Storyteller Ralph Richardson, Goblin King WILFRED BROWN, Goblins THE AMBROSIAN SINGERS. Adapted & produced by Charles Lefeaux.

1962-12-26 The Demon King (by J B Priestley)

From the series Mysterious Circumstances. The Boxing Day panto was going to be a flop - even for Bruddersford. But then the Demon King came on… Ian Wallace stars in JB Priestley’s vintage comic drama. Adapted by Michael Hardwick and Mollie Hardwick.

Kirk Ireton/Demon King …. Ian Wallace

Dulcie Farrar/Fairy Queen …. Marjorie Westbury

Alice/Principal Boy …. Sheila Grant

Johnny Wingfield …. George Merritt

Horace Rudd …. Frederick Treves

Lionel Sampson …. David Valla

Tom Burt …. Godfrey Kenton

Jonty Webster …. John Baddeley

With Andrew Irvine, Sian Davies, Dorrit Welles, Frank Partington, Barbara Mitchell and Timothy West

Other parts played by members of the BBC Drama Repertory Company

Special effects by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop

Signature tune composed by Ron Grainer

Music composed, arranged and conducted by Christopher Whelen

Producer: Charles Lefeaux

1971-09-17 Markheim (by Robert Louis Stevenson)

From the series Mysterious Circumstances. A desperate young man murders an antiques dealer... and then meets a stranger who demands his soul! "Murder is no special category. All sins are murder as all life is war. I have no interest in evil acts - only in evil men." Adapted by Tom Wright, Produced by Gordon Emslie.

Markheim ...... Tom Watson

Stranger ...... Malcolm Hayes

Deader ...... Martin Heller

1972-11-05 The Exorcism (by Don Taylor)

'It wasn't much more than a ruin really ... but we liked the area ... and anyway, Rachel fell in love with it.' But the weekend cottage is not quite the bargain it seemed, as Dan and Margaret find when they accept an invitation to go there for Christmas.

1984-12-22 A Christmas Story (by Joe Mahon)

'Molly's mind raced round the house. The back door was shut and bolted, as was the front door. All the windows were closed and tightly locked, even the fanlight. She looked at the fireplace. The fire was nearly out. Well, if he could get down the chimney, then he really was supernatural... Producer Maureen Gallagher BBC Northern Ireland.

1984-12-22 The Demon Cakestand of Beastley Chase (Stephen Fry)

A festive tale from The Mausoleum Club. Could Sir Henry's cake adoration be his downfall? Comic ghost story starring Stephen Fry. 

1988-01-03 The Snowman Killing (by J.C.W. Brook)

From the series Fear on 4. A young mother's fear is intensified by her children's fascination with an eyeless snowman. Starring Imelda Staunton

1988-05-24 The Spirit of the House (by Michael Robson)

Dick and Alison retire after 30 years in the Far East, to realize their dream of an English home. On Christmas Eve, however, this dream becomes a nightmare without end. Director: Gerry Jones

Dick Lennox …. Bernard Brown

Alison Lennox …. Sheila Grant

Wedderburn …. Norman Bird

George Evans …. David Goodland

Daphne Evans …. Carole Boyd

The Revered Colet …. lan Dudley

1988-11-08 The Waits (by L. P. Hartley)

Mr. Mariner is looking forward to Christmas Eve when there's an unexpected knock at the door. Read by Robert Lang for BBC’s Book at Bedtime.

1988-12-22 Angels at Partridge Cottage (by Lucy Gannon)

Zoe and Magnus Partridge intend to spend a child-free, present-free, glitter-free Christmas, but the ghosts that haunt their cottage have more traditional ideas. Directed by Philip Martin. BBC Pebble Mill

1990-01-06 A Dreadful Night (by Anton Chekov)

Returning home from a seance one Christmas Eve, Ivan Spektroff is horrified by what’s waiting for him. Alec McCowen reads Anton Chekhov's atmospheric short story. Producer: Matthew Walters

1990-12-22 A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens)

Michael Gough and Freddie Jones star in Christopher Denys’ adaptation with music by Elizabeth Parker. Director Janet Whitaker. The rest of the cast:

Ghost of Marley: Robert Eddison

Scrooge's nephew: Douglas Hodge

Mrs Dilbur: Anna Wing

Ghost of Christmas Past: Elizabeth Lindsay

Ghost of Christmas Present: Peter Woodthorpe

Bob Cratchit: Danny Schiller

Mrs Cratchit: Vivian Pickles

Mr Fezziuiig: Timothy Bateson

Mrs Fezziuiig: Maxine Audley

Young Scrooge: Andrew Wincott

Dick Wilkins: Terence Edmond

Belle: Joanna Myers

Old joe: Ronald Herdman

Scrooge's niece: Petra Markham

Sister: Emma Gregory

Topper: Timothy Carlton

Schoolmaster: Ian Lindsay

Martha: Danielle Allan

Tiny Tim: Hugo Mendez

1992-12-20 The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain: A Fancy for Christmastime (by Charles Dickens)

Charles Dickens' last Christmas story, about a man tormented by his past.

Dramatized by Jill Brooke from Charles Dickens’ short story. Producer: Glyn Dearman. Director: Kay Patrick

1992-12-24 Gobble, Gobble (by Paul Burns)

From the series Fear on 4. By Christmas Eve, most people will have their turkeys safely secured, but for Martin Reynolds, his search ends in a nightmare.

1992-12-26 After Supper Ghost Stories (by Jerome K Jerome)

Christmas Eve, 1891 and in Laburnum Grove, Tooting, Uncle John's whisky-punch and Aunt Maria's toasted lobsters are not the only frights on the menu... Stars Dinsdale Landen as the narrator, Geoffrey Matthews as Uncle John, Linda Polan as Aunt Maria, Roger Hammond as Mr Coombes, Jonathan Tafler as Teddy Biffles, David Holt as Mr Scrubbles and John Baddeley as Ghost of a Sinful Man.

With Neil Brand on the pianoforte.

Adapted by Paul Wetherby

Director David Blount

1995-03-07 It's Cold Outside (by Eric Pringle)

Ray wakes to find himself trapped inside his car in a snowdrift. He can't move. He doesn't know who he is - or how he came to be there… Directed by Cherry Cookson

Ray ...... Kenneth Cranham

Sophie ...... Julia Ford

Gerry ...... Neville Jason

Anna ...... Elaine Claxton

Edward ...... Paul Panting

Elizabeth ...... Vivienne Rochester

Charles ...... Malcolm Ward

2003-12-25 No Conferring (by Jonathan Holloway)

From the series A Sting in the Tale. A Christmas bonding week in an isolated moorland cottage for the 1983 University Challenge team from Bracewell College, Cambridge, goes horribly wrong. Directed by David Hunter. Cast includes:

Derek …. Damian Lynch

Dilly …. Lydia Leonard

Ernest …. Kenny Blyth

Donald …. Peter Darney

Emily …. Jaimi Barbakoff

With Bamber Gascoigne and Jeremy Paxman as themselves.

2005-01-22 The Drover's Path (by Vanessa Rosenthal)

Based on real-life family history, a chilling ghost story set on a remote Yorkshire sheep farm in 1890. Directed at BBC Manchester by Polly Thomas.

John Whitam …. Jeff Hordley

Percy Metcalf …. Malcolm Hebden

Robert Whittam/Thomas Omerod …. Kenneth Alan Taylor

Ellen Whittam/Edith Whittam …. Elianne Byrne

Arthur Cunliffe/Edward Ormerod …. Matthew Lewney

Young Ellen/Young Edith …. Catherine Jenkins

Young John …. Oliver Hudson

Signature tune: Wench All

2006-12-11 A House to Let (by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell & Adelaide Anne Proctor)

Distressed by an unsettling sign of life in a derelict house across from her new London home, Sophonisba relies on the competitive efforts of an elderly admirer and her manservant to unravel the secrets of the "house to let".

A festive tale by four eminent Victorian writers working together - Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Proctor. In a letter to Collins from 6 September 1858, Dickens outlined his idea for a Christmas story. He originally envisaged the story being written by himself and Collins with his plot outline fleshed out by Collins, but was later to invite Gaskell and Procter to contribute chapters. Dickens and Collins wrote the first chapter, "Over the Way", and the last chapter "Let at Last" together, and each of the writers wrote one of the intervening chapters: Gaskell "The Manchester Marriage", Dickens "Going into Society", Procter "Three Evenings in the House" and Collins "Trottle's Report".

Originally broadcast in five 15 minute episodes from Dec 11-15, 2006, this is an omnibus of the series. Directed by Ned Chaillet.

Sophonisba ...... Marcia Warren

Jabez Jarber ...... Alec McCowen

Trottle ...... Brian Croucher

Openshaw ...... Sam Dale

Alice ...... Miranda Keeling

Norah ...... Tracy Wiles

Frank ...... Stephen Critchlow

2010-12-30 It's Me Who Keeps the Bird's Heart Beating (by Luke Sutherland)

 In Luke Sutherland's magical, haunting 'It's Me Who Keeps the Bird's Hearts Beating', Regina overcomes muteness with some help from the afterlife. It's been 6-years since he published 'Venus as a Boy' - which The Guardian described as "a searing, heart breaking work of beauty" - so this story will be warmly welcomed by his fans. It's one of five contemporary ghost stories by Scotland's finest writers for BBC Radio Scotland.

2014-12-20 A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens)

A new version of the seasonal classic adapted for actors, the BBC Singers and the BBC Symphony Orchestra by Neil Brand and recorded before an audience in the BBC Maida Vale Studios.

Director: David Hunter

Adapted for actors and orchestra by Neil Brand.

Music: The BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers. Conductor: Martin Andre. Producer: Ann McKay.

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